Herd Cats Home is an isometric tile puzzle in the browser: you guide a black cat leader and color-matched cats across stacked tiles, tree holes, and swap pads. Each move tile counts steps - stay at or below 13. Send every cat to its matching home tile. About ~30 KB after Play, no install, no account.
Prefer a push-crate escape instead? Try Thirteen Step Escape.
Lead colored cats home with the black cat. Match tile colors, stack cats, and keep step counters at 13 or below. From WMAR-9 black_cat (MIT, JS13K 2025). About ~30 KB downloads once when you press Play.
Keyboard: arrow keys move the active cat. Q undo, W mute, E level menu, R restart. Click or tap the canvas for menus. Best on desktop with a keyboard.
Welcome to Herd Cats Home, a free browser isometric cat-herding puzzle you can play without an account or install. Press Play to load the ~30 KB canvas engine in a same-origin iframe, then tap through the title screen and pick a level from the grid.
How to play
- Use the arrow keys to move cats across color-matched tiles. A cat only interacts with tiles that share its color family.
- Keep the step counter on each move tile at or below 13. Cat food bowls reset a counter to zero.
- Stack cats on the same tile, and use tree holes for height changes.
- Send each cat onto its matching home pad to clear the level.
Controls
- Arrow keys - move cats across the tiles.
- Q - undo one move.
- W - toggle sound.
- E - open the level menu.
- R - restart the current level.
Progress and privacy
The game has sixteen levels, and clearing one opens the next; your progress saves locally on this device. Nothing leaves this device except the initial page and the game files loaded from this site. For more free browser games, open the games hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Herd Cats Home?
An isometric multi-cat puzzle. You move a black cat leader and color-matched cats across tiles, stack them on shared squares, and send each cat to its matching home pad before step counters exceed 13 on move tiles.
How do I control it?
Arrow keys move the active cat in that direction. Q undoes one move. W toggles sound. E opens the level select menu. R restarts the current level. Click or tap the canvas for title, level grid, and story overlays.
How do color rules work?
Each cat has a color family (black plus four pastel cats). Cats only trigger tiles that match their color - home pads, food bowls, swap pads, and counters. Black blocks and neutral tiles follow separate rules shown in the in-game tips.
What is the step limit?
Move tiles show a rising counter each time any cat steps on them. If a counter goes above 13, that tile fails the level. Cat food bowls reset their counter to zero when a matching cat stands on them at the right height.
Is progress saved?
Yes. Cleared levels save locally under ftol:herdcathome:CAT as a level bitmap. Sound mute preference is session-only inside the engine.
How big is the download?
About ~30 KB of HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and one sprite sheet after you press Play. The browser caches it for later visits on the same device.
Does it work on a phone?
The engine accepts canvas clicks for menus and overlays, but arrow-key moves need a keyboard. Desktop or laptop is the best experience; tablets with a keyboard also work.
Is this open source?
Yes. Adapted from black_cat by WMAR-9 (js13kGames 2025) under the MIT license. This site build adds noindex on the iframe, namespaces localStorage to ftol:herdcathome:CAT, and ships LICENSE plus CREDITS next to the engine.